down surprises, there was something for every gamer at this year's E3.

As the conference unfolded at the Los Angeles Convention Center June 2-4, we kept a running tally of our favorite games on a big white board in our IGN E3 Command Center. When a new title blew us away, we wrote it down. When something surprised us, we wrote it down. When a behind-closed-doors demo made us want to get our wallets out and buy the game right then and there, we wrote it down.

The games on that list eventually became our nominees for the best games of IGN E3 2009, and from there we narrowed it down to pick our final favorites. These are the games that got the IGN editors talking last week and haven't been able to shut up about since. So keep reading to find out which 360 games wowed us most at E3, and make sure to come back tomorrow, Friday, June 12, for our overall Games of the Show.

Many of us at IGN had written off Alan Wake as vaporware. Turns out it doesn't just exist -- it looks fantastic. This moody, stylish horror game stunned everyone in attendance with its Stephen King-esque story and flashy graphics. The long wait for Alan Wake looks worth it.

Sure, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is nothing new. We've played it to death on the Dreamcast, after all. But this is one of the best fighting games of all time and it's been given the royal treatment with a graphical update and the addition of online multiplayer.

We came into E3 expecting The Beatles game to be Rock Band with the Fab Four slapped on stage. We discovered that Harmonix has developed an experience different from any of its previous games and so quintessentially "Beatles" that it could never be repurposed for anything else. Plus, it made us feel happy inside.

Don't let the name fool you, 'Splosion Man was one of the surprise hits of E3. You play as an experiment breaking free from the people who created you. Your only power is the ability to explode. And you'll use this to launch yourself around numerous levels, solving platforming puzzles along the way. There are even some stages built specifically for four-players coop platforming.

It's always a good thing when a developer has too many features to possibly show them all off at E3. What we saw of Forza 3 was enough to convince us that it's the racing game of 2009. A dynamic career mode, amazing physics, perfect handling, a rewind function and gorgeous visuals put Forza 3 in the pole position.

Now that the mystery of whether Commander Shepard lives to star in Mass Effect 2 has been answered, BioWare has begun lifting the veil on the improvements this sequel will see. The first Mass Effect was no slouch and the sequel is looking like it will bring back everything that made it great while streamlining the combat and cleaning up the visuals.

Halo 3: ODST has been written off by many as a simple expansion. It's not a full game and not worth your attention they say. They're wrong. The new four-player Firefight mode is pure fun and the campaign looks like the most interesting Halo adventure we've seen in many moons.

Looking at the latest installment of Fight Night, it may be difficult to judge how great an improvement it is over Round 3. But get your hands on the game and it becomes clear very quickly. This is the best-controlling boxing game we've ever played. And it has Iron Mike Tyson slugging it out with the greatest boxers in history!